I've just bought a rig from the US (brand new) and had it brought over to the UK having paid for 'full assembly, reserve pack and inspection' only to find the reserve repack card is blank, although the reserve is sealed with the red thread and lead thing as US reserves tend to be... what should i do? its another £35 ($70+) for another reserve repack in this country and after buying the damn rig im a little strapped, would it be ok to call the rigger on the other side of the pond and have it filled out on his behalf by a rigger over here? surely he'd have records of packing it and its sealed and everything? and would it help that the rigger is a close personal friend of a rigger at my dz? thanks for your help!

Is this rig new from a US dealer? If so just call them and tell them what problem you have. They should have a record of who packed it and have them fax you the info. Then have them drop a new card in the mail. Another thing that could have happened is there is another card on your rig somewhere that you havent found yet? Maybe the rigger used one of thier own cards and placed it on your rig? Post what type of rig it is and the riggers on here may be able to tell you where it could have been placed on your rig. It could just be in the wrong spot

ok thanks for the help, its a wings container, ive emailed the dealer, its just i was hoping to jump it at the weekend but i cant get to a DZ till friday, and then i have exams/dissertation deadlines so it will be a good month or more after that before i can jump again and if the weathers good i wouldnt be too optimistic about it being packed on the spot no matter what the bribe

Can you even jump a rig that has never been repacked + inspected by a local/national rigger? I know we can't but no clue about UK.

Are you saying your national association (government) accepts the workmanship of a US TSO'd factory but not the rigging done in that factory? That is nothing short of a protectionist tax on you by your local rigger's guild. They suck!

Can you even jump a rig that has never been repacked + inspected by a local/national rigger? I know we can't but no clue about UK.

Are you saying your national association (government) accepts the workmanship of a US TSO'd factory but not the rigging done in that factory? That is nothing short of a protectionist tax on you by your local rigger's guild. They suck!

We have to have a yearly check done by a Dutch rigger. If the rig hasn't had that check+repack, no jumping it. It also needs Dutch papers in the first place, which have to be signed, and the rig needs a lead seal.

I'm pretty sure ours is not the only country that does this, Germany for instance too.

Used to be we needed the repack in between the yearly checks to be Dutch too, but that changed since last March, so if you had a reserve ride in Ampuria or Deland you can still jump the rig back home without ANOTHER repack.

Is this governmental or just your national association? Does it apply to foreigners? i.e. if I come to visit am I expected to get a repack for my weekend at your DZ followed by another repack the next weekend in Germany?

It's the KNVvL (= USPA). The government has nothing to do with this. It only applies to jumpers holding a Dutch license.

Like I said, it's not the repack per se, it's the obligatory yearly check which INCLUDES a repack. Now, as long as the yearly check is still valid, ie no change to harness&container, opening system, reserve and AAD, and no older than a year obviously, it doesn't matter anymore who does the repacks "in between".

Hee! Hee! This reminds me of a recent conversation with a Dutch-born skydiver who now lives in Canada.

When he tried to jump in Holland last year, they gave him a hard time because his rig had not been recently inspected by a Dutch "prufur" (or whatever they call them in the Netherlands. After I repacked his reserve (last month) he told me to sign a bewildering array of paperwork a bewildering array of times. Sorry, but a can only read a little dutch. He hopes that Dutch skydiving authorities will respect my signature (Canadian Rigger B/FAA Master Rigger Rigger/German Prufur Classe A).

Half the problem is that every country has slightly different standards for training and certifying riggers. The European Union has started to write a common standard for riggers, but it will probably take 20 years to reach agreement. Hee! Hee!

Sounds like the rigger was overwhelmed by paperwork and simply forgot to complete the "reserve packing data card." The simple answer is to phone him and ask him to fax a copy.

For example, when I rigged for Square One, we had to complete seven pieces of paperwork for every rig: reserve packing data card, work order, pay sheet, loft schedule, loft log book, personal logbook and an invoice. It is tough for riggers to remember that much paperwork. Also remember that most technicians (i.e. parachute riggers) chose to become technicians because they hate sitting at desks.

"prufur" is German, not Dutch (as is Holland/The Netherlands)? That would be "rigger". Anyway i'm pretty sure it wouldn't be accepted if he was jumping with a Dutch license. Foreign license, sure. But this sounds more like the German rules to me. They also do yearly checks I think, and also on BASE gear, which has the unfortunate result that you need an approved canopy (not all BASE canopies are approved) and you need a reserve.

So I don't think we're the worst country it's expensive and a hassle sometimes yes, and lots of us would like to see the yearly check gone since riggers check the same things every repack anyway at least they should. But we also have people who are not riggers but are allowed to pack reserves, they generally charge less for a repack and are not allowed to do the yearly check or any work on a rig, so that may be where part of the problem lies.